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ANT 3241 (8119)
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Teaching Assistants
Anthropology of Religion
Fall 2008
Gerald F. Murray
Tu 4 (10:40 – 11:30), Th 4, 5 (10:40-12:35)
Norman Hall (NRN) 137
(Grinter 331) Mon 9:00 – 10:30 Tue 12:30 – 2:00
392-3830 X 302 [email protected]
http://web.clas.ufl.edu/users/murray/
Michael Lemons [email protected]
Office Turlington 4407 Tue: 9:30-10:30, 11:45-1:45.
Rafael Mendoza [email protected]
Office Turlington 4407 Wed: 3:00 – 6:05
Course Objectives.
The course is designed to assist students to increase (1) their general analytic skills for
analyzing religion in an anthropological framework and (2) their specific knowledge about
particular religious systems.
We will first define religion operationally – i.e. distinguishing a subset of cultural phenomena
that can be labeled “religion”. Using these criteria for identifying a sphere called religion, we
will examine the evidence for the origin and early evolution of religious systems in the human
species. We will then discuss some universal structures of religion – i.e. core components found
around the world: spirit beliefs, ceremonies, and religious specialist leaders. We will then turn
to the multiple functions of religion – the many cognitive, emotional, social, liberating,
oppressive, military, pacifying, ecological and other uses to which religion is put, often without
conscious awareness on the part of the actors themselves. We will examine these structures and
functions in the religions of bands and tribes as well as in the “World Religions”. We will
examine the ways in which anthropologists have gone beyond descriptions of religion to explain
and/or interpret religious phenomena. We will examine the strengths and pitfalls of the most
common explanatory strategy – “functional analysis.” (E.g. medical explanations of the Jewish
and Islamic pork prohibitions, economic explanations of the Sacred Cow phenomenon in India.)
Exams. The semester will be divided into four quarters. There will be an objective exam,
either in class or on E-learning, at the end of each quarter. The exams will be for the most part
based on the classroom lectures and the assigned readings from that particular section, though an
occasional question from a preceding section may be asked. For students who prefer to write
papers, options will be made available to substitute an eight page paper for the second or third
exam. All students must take exam 1 and 4. You may also take all four. Guidelines for
proposing papers are on the course website. Students with attendance problems may not write
papers in substitution of exams.
Note: The following are the tentative exam dates: Sept. 16, Oct. 16, Nov. 18, Dec. 9
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Computation of grade: The lowest of the first three exams will be dropped. The remaining three
exams (or exams and paper) will be averaged and the attendance points added to or subtracted
from the semester average. (Note: the grade for the fourth exam will not be dropped, even
though it is the lowest.)
90 or more = A.
66 – 69 = D+.
86-89=B+.
60-65 = D.
80-85 = B.
76-79 = C+. 70-75 = C.
Less than 60 = E.
Required Readings:
Two books are required reading for the course. Students will also read on-line sacred texts
from Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam.
Required books
Religion and Culture, Annemarie de Wall Malefijt, is a traditional anthropological treatment of
religion, written several decades ago, focusing on the religions of foragers, tribal peoples, and
chiefdoms. It has an overview of the history of the study of religion.
Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Corrigan, et. al., This is a book dealing with the Abrahamic
religions. It is organized logically by seven distinct topics. It then compares Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam on those three topics.
These two books are available at Orange and Blue Textbooks on 13th Street.
Sacred texts on line:
Judaism: Hebrew Scriptures: Selections from Genesis – Bereshit
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Bible/Genesistoc.html
Christianity: Selections from the New Testament: Gospels (Infancy narratives and miraculous
healing episodes)
http://www.utoronto.ca/religion/synopsis/meta-4g.htm
Buddhism: Buddha, the Word (the Eightfold Path)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/buddha2.htm
Hinduism: The Bhagavad Gita .
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe08/index.htm
Islam: Qur’an, Sura Al Baqarah (The Cow) (Chapter 2)
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/koran/browse.html
About half of each exam will cover questions from the readings, even though the questions may
not have been discussed in class.
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Attendance. Please note the following before you register for this course. Regular
attendance is required and will be monitored with a sign-in system linked to bonus points and
penalty deductions. (The details are on the instructor’s website.) Please note the following: a
student who is absent for more than three weeks in the semester (9 periods) for whatever
reason will have to withdraw or receive an automatic E for the course. A Thursday absence
counts as 2 periods. Excused absences will lose no attendance points. But they are counted as
absences in terms of the global three-week rule. . If you have heavy commitments that will
make you absent over the three week limit or have habits of chronic absenteeism, do not sign up
for this class.
Tardiness. Because of the crowded condition of the class (340 students are enrolled in an
auditorium holding 346 students), late arrivals will cause disruption. After an initial grace period
of a week or two, TAs will get the names of late arrivals and points will be deducted from those
that are chronically late (i.e. more than three times in the semester). The instructor reserves the
right to refuse post-class sign-in to those that missed the attendance sheet. Exceptions may be
made at instructor discretion.
Special needs accommodation. If UF has determined that you need special exam
accommodations, please provide proper documentation and the accommodations will be made.
Schedule of topics and readings. The following is a provisional list of the topics which will be
covered in lectures. Time constraints may lead to the elimination of some, and others may be
added on the basis of class interest. The exams will cover the readings for the period and for
the topics covered in lectures.
Aug. 26 Introduction to the Course.
Overview of Anthropology
Definition of the scope of religion
Requirements of the course
Regulations concerning attendance and email procedures
Aug. 28 Theoretical and methodological issues in the anthropological study of religion
Science of religion: anthropological vs. theological propositions
Synchronic vs. diachronic perspectives
Idealist vs. materialist perspectives
Emic perspectives vs. etic perspectives
Structuralist vs. functionalist approaches to religion
Religion vs. Magic
Universal components: Pantheon, Rituals, Specialists
Direct participation and "going native"
Dealing with diversity within the same religion. Which is the "genuine" variant?
Readings: Religion and Culture
1. Anthropology and the Study of Religion
2. History of the study of Religion
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(Online) Book of Genesis, chaps 1 - 24 (From Creation to the binding of Isaac)
Sept 2, 4: Evolutionary origins of religion
Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic – categories of technological evolution
Bands, tribes, chiefdoms, states – categories of cultural evolution
Interpreting Neanderthal burials
Interpreting female clay figurines
Interpreting Paleolithic cave paintings
The oldest profession: the shaman.
Readings: Religion and Culture
3. The science of religion
4. 20th century theories of religion
5. Prehistoric religion
Sept. 9, 11: Anthropology of the spirit world.
Universal features of spirits
The Supreme Being and the structure of monotheism
The spirit world as a mirror of the social world: the hypothesis of evolutionary linkages.
Theriomorphic and anthropomorphic spirits in tribal religions
Good spirits and evil spirits in European traditions: Angels, demons, shedim, dybbuks,
ghosts, zombies, werewolves, vampires, fairies, leprechauns
Ancestral spirits of China and Africa
The African-derived spirits of Afro-Caribbean religion
Beliefs concerning the human soul
The pre-existence of souls
Theories of special souls: Baptism and the transformation of the soul in Christianity; the
neshama yehudit (Jewish soul) of the Kabbala and the Tanya, and the Atman of
Hinduism.
Fate of the human soul: Heaven, hell, predestination, reincarnation:
Anthropology of the afterlife
Polytheism, henotheism, monotheism
Emergence of the Supreme Being
Special characteristics of the Supreme Being
The jealous warrior God of the Torah
The Trinitarian God of Christianity
The impersonal, emanating God of the Kabbala
Readings: Religion and Culture
6. Religious beliefs
7. Myth and ritual
Jews, Christians, Muslims
Monotheism Chaps. 4 – 6
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Sept. 16. Exam 1
Sept. 18, 23, 25: Religious power figures
Charismatically acquired power: shamans, spirit healers
Monotheistic founding figures: Anthropological perspectives on Moses, Buddha, Jesus,
Muhammad.
Institutionally licensed power: priests, ministers, rabbis
Sorcerers and witches
Voodoo priests and santeros of the Caribbean
Readings: Religion and Culture
8. Religious communication
9. Religious specialists
Jews, Christians, Muslims
Authority and Community Chaps 7 – 9
Sept. 30, Oct. 2 Varieties of rituals
Life cycle rituals: Birth, Adolescence, Marriage, Death
Annual and weekly calendrical rituals
Public and private daily rituals
Special crisis rituals
Hunting, agricultural, and other occupational rituals
Haitian Voodoo: Healing or Sorcery?
Readings: Jews, Christians, Muslims
Worship and Ritual Chaps. 10-12
Oct. 7 - 9: Religion, language, and scriptures
Language and the spirit world
How the spirits communicate with humans
How humans communicate with the spirits
Sacred scriptures:
the Vedas
the Tanach (Hebrew Bible),
the New Testament,
the Qur’an
Glossolalia: Speaking in tongues
Afro-Caribbean spirit possession
Readings: Jews, Christians, Muslims
Scripture and Tradition. Chaps. 1-3
Hebrew Scriptures: the Flood Account (Genesis 6 – 9)
New Testament: Infancy Narratives (Matthew and Luke)
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Oct. 14 Religion and economics
Functional analysis and religion.
Agricultural and pastoral rituals: first fruit offerings and animal sacrifice.
The occupational castes of Hinduism
Theories of the "Protestant ethic" and capitalism
Haitian Voodoo and the circulation of land.
The charitable contributions of churches, synagogues, mosques:
Televangelist scams. “You owe God money. Here’s the address to send it to him.”
Readings: Jews, Christians, Muslims
Material Culture Chaps 16 - 18
Oct. 16th. Exam 2
Oct. 21, 23: Religion, food, and drink.
Religious food taboos and regulations
The perils of functional analysis of food taboos: materialist vs. cognitive perspectives.
The forbidden pigs of Judaism and Islam
The sacred cows of India
Religious fasting.
Afro-Caribbean animal sacrifice: food for the gods, consumed by humans.
Readings: Religion and Culture
12. Functions of religion
Jews, Christians, Muslims
Ethics Chaps 13 – 15
Oct. 28, 30 Religion and violence
Killing animals for God: Animal sacrifice
Killing people for God:
Human sacrifice for hungry deities
Slaughtering Canaanites for the God of Abraham
Burning heretics for Jesus
Blowing up buses and pizza parlors for Allah
Killing enemies with spirit power: sorcerers and witches
Liberation Theology of Latin America: revolt as a sacred duty.
Enslaving Africans for God.
Grabbing real estate in the name of God:
American Manifest Destiny
Israeli West Bank settlers.
Religion and the Holocaust.
Voodoo and sorcery
Readings: Jews, Christians, Muslims
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Religion and the Political Order Chaps 19 - 21
(On line) Hinduism: The Bhagavad Gita
Nov. 4, 6: Religion and healing:
The earliest profession: Spirit healing and shamanism
Techniques of spirit healers
Jesus the healer.
Hassidic Rebbes as healers
Charismatic healing in America.
Haitian Vodou and healing.
Readings: Religion and Culture
10. Religious healing
11. Witchcraft and sorcery
New Testament: healing episodes in the four Gospels.
Nov. 11: Veteran’s Day, No class.
Nov. 13, Judaism
Nov Anthropological synopsis: pantheon, rituals, specialists
Core beliefs: the election of Israel and the commandments as vehicles of sanctification
Core practices: Sabbath observance, dietary laws, daily prayer, Talmudic learning.
Specialists: from priestly to rabbinic leadership
Kabbala and Hasidism.
Revolt against the Talmud and the Rabbis: Reform Judaism. The Conservative
compromise
Judaism in Israel
(Online) Readings: Pirke Avot (Ethics of the Fathers)
Nov. 18: Exam 3. (Note: based on lectures and readings before Nov. 11th. Nov. 13th lecture
and readings are on the 4th exam.)
Nov. 20. Christianity
Anthropological synopsis: pantheon, rituals, specialists
Core beliefs: Trinitarian God, incarnation of the Word, sacrificial atonement,
resurrection.
Early conflicts about the nature of Jesus. Emergence of the Nicene Creed
Core rituals: the Mass and the seven Sacraments of Catholicism.
The Protestant revolt against Roman theological and liturgical authority.
Christian views of the afterlife: Heaven, Hell, and (Catholic) Purgatory
Different religions and denominations within Christianity
Latin American Christianity.
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Independent streams of African Christianity
Readings: Religion and Culture
13. Religious change
Online: Selections from the Gospels and the Apocalypse (Revelations)
Nov. 25 Islam
Anthropological synopsis: Pantheon, rituals, specialists.
The origin and structure of the Qur’an.
The five pillars of Islam
The concept of “jihad”:
external war with infidels
internal struggle with self
Sunni and Shia
Importance of Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem (Al Quds).
Teachings about the afterlife.
Readings: (Online) The Qur’an, Sura Al Baqarah (The Cow) (Chapter 2)
Nov. 27. Thanksgiving
Dec. 2, 4 Hinduism and Buddhism. Mysticism and altered consciousness: inner silence
and deepened awareness
Shamanism, psychedelics, and altered consciousness
Monasticism: Eastern and Western traditions
Meditation: Eastern and Western traditions
Readings: (Online) Buddhism: Buddha, The Word (The eightfold path)
Dec. 9: Exam 4
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